Today, U.S Representatives Mike Coffman (R-CO) and Luis Gutiérrez (D-IL), sent a letter to the Secretary of the Army, the Secretary of the Navy, and the Secretary of the Air Force responding to a status update on the policy review of possible U.S. Armed Services policies that prohibits U.S. citizens from enlisting in the military if that enlistee has an undocumented dependent. “Service in the U.S. military is the highest duty one can perform for the country, so I am very concerned about the pos...
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Today, U.S. Representative Mike Coffman (R-Aurora) issued the below statement in response to President Obama’s State of the Union Address: "Unfortunately, the State of the Union address has deteriorated into a sort of partisan pep rally, so I frankly don't put a whole lot of stock into it one way or the other. On the positive side, I appreciated the President's promise to expand resources and treatment options for returning veterans wrestling with the dark horrors of combat. Senator Udall and I...
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A Colorado lawmaker is urging Congress to pass legislation that would give illegal immigrants who came to the U.S. as children a path to citizenship through military enlistment. The Military Enlistment Opportunity Act would let undocumented immigrants who have been screened by the Homeland Security Department, as well as “documented, legally present non-citizens” the chance to join the military with the promise of receiving permanent residence status. Permanent residence could be rescinded, how...
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It was the mystery and majesty of the sea that drew Victoria Ramirez-Solis to the Merchant Marines. The Hinkley High School senior knew she wanted a career in the military since she was a student at Aurora Hills Middle School. She also knew she wanted to attend college, and the idea of a service academy seemed a perfect way to realize both goals. In the end, it was the water that guided her decision as she considered academies through different branches of the military. Victoria Ramirez-Solis, i...
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Today, U.S. Representative Mike Coffman (R-CO) sent a letter to House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA) urging action on his legislative proposal, H.R. 435, the Military Enlistment Opportunity Act, that would authorize undocumented individuals, who were brought to the United States illegally as children and who otherwise meet all military requirements for enlistment, be allowed to join the armed forces and have a pathway to citizenship based on their military service. “Although some may find m...
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The use of so-called reverse auctions to lower contracting costs at the Veterans Affairs Department and General Services Administration came under tough scrutiny on Wednesday at a House joint committee hearing. Rather than saving money, critics said, the tool drives out competition, favors a single auction company and risks a lowering of quality in the work if applied to complex projects such as construction. Reverse auctions are a contracting process used by the government since the late 1990s ...
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The Pentagon is reviewing policies that prevent United States citizens from enlisting in various Armed Services if they have dependents who are in the country illegally. After Fronteras Desk reported last month that some branches of the military were barring otherwise eligible applicants who have unauthorized immigrant spouses and children, more than 30 members of Congress wrote to military leaders asking for clarification about enlistment policies. In a letter addressed to Rep. Luis Gutierrez (...
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The military is re-evaluating its rule — applied unevenly among the branches — that prevents those with close relatives who are illegal immigrants from joining the services, The Wall Street Journal reported. The policy review is expected to take two months. Rep. Luis Gutierrez, D-Ill., and Rep. Mike Coffman, R-Colo., are in the forefront of a bipartisan effort to have the ban formally lifted. "We should not be excluding U.S. citizens from serving their country, and we should be protecting their ...
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A few years ago, Beatriz Madriz enlisted in the Marine Corps. Then, just before heading to boot camp, a recruiter told her that she had to divorce her husband if she still wanted to join the Marines—because he was an illegal immigrant. "They told me they would even pay for the divorce," said the 22-year-old Portland, Ore., resident. "I wasn't going to do that." Amid an increase in complaints from U.S. citizens who, like Ms. Madriz, have been denied the right to enlist, the Department of Defense ...
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Yesterday, U.S Representatives Mike Coffman (R-CO) and Luis Gutiérrez (D-IL), along with 31 Members of the House, sent a letter to the Secretary of the Navy, the Acting Secretary of the Air Force, and the Secretary of the Army, expressing strong concerns with possible U.S. Armed Services policy that prohibits U.S. citizens from enlisting in the military if that enlistee has an undocumented dependent: “Service in the U.S. military is the highest duty one can perform for the country, so I am very...
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